Maintenance Engineers Push for Logic in New Regulations

Maintenance Engineers Push for Logic in New Health and
Safety Regulations.

Before the government created a whole
new health and safety industry in 1992, engineers were
largely responsible for health and safety in the workplace.
After many years of illogical and (sadly) sometimes
laughable impositions under the banner of “health and
safety”, engineers are rolling up their sleeves and
getting involved in the new regime of health and safety
regulations and guidelines under the new health and safety
Act currently proceeding through Parliament. Buoyed by a
record national membership of over 400 engineers, the
Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand, (MESNZ) has
adopted a “get involved” approach to ensuring that logic
prevails in the countries renewed approach to health and
safety governance. According to Spokesman Craig Carlyle,
“The good intentions of the government in 1992 were not
delivered by the outcomes. Statistics were worse, not better
and far too many of our members were in that group. Before
Pike River we were a lonely voice bemoaning the fluro
culture so we are pleased to see new initiatives. Even with
the best intent, the same bureaucratic chain and self
interested parties are involved in providing the governance
detail so it is vital that the voice of logic and experience
is heard. “

MESNZ has been at the steering end of
the formation of the new Health and Safety Association of
NZ. This association of associations is the umbrella group
nurtured by the government to promote and influence
excellent health and safety outcomes for all New Zealanders.
It supercedes the original OHSIG group, which will wind up
by the end of the year. MESNZ involvement in this new body
ensures a direct line of communication for engineering and
manufacturing.

Business owners in Auckland, Bay of
Plenty and Taranaki should now be aware of the pilot
inspection programme by WorkSafe NZ. MESNZ is closely
watching the results, particularly with respect to guarding.
With involvement in the consultative processes, MESNZ is
keen to judge if the bureaucracy has delivered an improved
pathway for employers or if we have just added cost and
complexity.

Inspectors are using 4 draft inspection tools
covering machine guarding, dust, noise and forklifts. These
tools are available on the MESNZ website under
http://www.mesnz.org.nz/resources/health-safety/worksafe-tools/
Other useful tools such as the rapidly growing list of
guarding practitioners under
http://www.mesnz.org.nz/resources/health-safety/guard-experts/
can be found on the MESNZ website.

While the new Health
and Safety Act continues its march through the parliamentary
process, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) is busying itself developing the regulations to
underpin the new act. The topics under review are risk,
employee participation, asbestos, hazardous substances, and
major hazard facilities. With some significant and
potentially draconian changes being proposed, readers would
be well advised to absorb the proposals at
http://www.mbie.govt.nz/about-us/consultation/development-of-regulations-to-support-the-new-health-and-safety-at-work-act
Submission periods are tight so be sure to check the dates
and, like the MESNZ, make your voice
heard.

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